Sermon Tone Analysis

Balwani Gangadhar Tilak, an Indian leader and activist in the late 1800’s and early 1900s famously said “Freedom is my birth-right and I shall have it”.

The concept of freedom and the majority of us and our society believe this to be a right.

· We all want to be free!

Our country honors military and those serving the country to protect our right to be free and the liberties that we have in living in this country.

Balwani Gangadhar Tilak, an Indian leader and activist in the late 1800’s and early 1900s famously said “Freedom is my birth-right and I shall have it”.

The concept of freedom and the majority of us and our society believe this to be a right.

· But what does it mean to be free?

We all seem to desire it.

· “The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants” -Oxford’s dictionary

SARAH AND HAGAR: TWO COVENANTS

· We all want to be free!

Our country honors military and those serving the country to protect our right to be free and the liberties that we have in living in this country.

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.

23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants.

One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

· But what does it mean to be free?

We all seem to desire it.

· The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved– Oxford’s dictionary

· “The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants” -Oxford’s dictionary

· But is freedom really being able to do what we want, when we want, without resistance.

But as a Christian we know the ability to do whatever you want leads to sin, and we know that leading a life of sin leads to bondage and slavery.

So being free doesn’t necessarily mean doing what you want.

· The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved– Oxford’s dictionary

So to be free in Christ, does not mean we do whatever we want, and it doesn’t mean we do not obey or follow laws.

But that freedom in Christ frees us from our bondage of sin that enslaves us and leads to our destruction, but that Christ has now liberated the Christian to freely obey and love God.

As we have been studying the book of Galatians, we have seen the issues that Paul has had to addressed regarding the false teaching of Judaizers that these Gentile Christians are starting to believe.

These Judaizers are trying to appeal to the Gentile Christians that they are not truly free, and that in order to be free they have to trust in the law.

This has been a struggle for Paul to call the churches back to Christ and for them to repent and to stop trusting in themselves but solely on Christ.

· But is freedom really being able to do what we want, when we want, without resistance.

But as a Christian we know the ability to do whatever you want leads to sin, and we know that leading a life of sin leads to bondage and slavery.

So being free doesn’t necessarily mean doing what you want.

So to be free in Christ, does not mean we do whatever we want, and it doesn’t mean we do not obey or follow laws.

But that freedom in Christ frees us from our bondage of sin that enslaves us and leads to our destruction, but that Christ has now liberated the Christian to freely obey and love God.

But in regards to freedom, we are not dealing with people who are enslaved who are desiring to be free.

It is not like Moses, leading God’s people out of slavery at the hands of Egypt.

Paul is talking to Gentile Christians, who are already free!

They have already been freed from the law.

In fact they didn’t have the law like the Judaizers.

They have already been liberated and free to love God and obey Him.

Yet Paul is asking the question now “since you are free, why do you want to go back to slavery? “why do you want to live under the law?”.

This is the situation we are dealing with here in , and I want us to be challenged and encouraged through this text by Paul’s encouragement to the churches of Galatia to Stand Firm in Our Freedom in Christ.

We want to focus on how we can stand firm in our freedom in Christ, and Paul reveals to us 3 ways we can stand firm in our freedom in Christ in this text:

As we have been studying the book of Galatians, we have seen the issues that Paul has had to addressed regarding the false teaching of Judaizers that these Gentile Christians are starting to believe.

These Judaizers are trying to appeal to the Gentile Christians that they are not truly free, and that in order to be free they have to trust in the law.

This has been a struggle for Paul to call the churches back to Christ and for them to repent and to stop trusting in themselves but solely on Christ.

· Stand Firm and Understand God’s word [v.21]

But in regards to freedom, we are not dealing with people who are enslaved who are desiring to be free.

It is not like Moses, leading God’s people out of slavery at the hands of Egypt.

Paul is talking to Gentile Christians, who are already free!

They have already been freed from the law.

In fact they didn’t have the law like the Judaizers.

They have already been liberated and free to love God and obey Him.

Yet Paul is asking the question now “since you are free, why do you want to go back to slavery? “why do you want to live under the law?”.

This is the situation we are dealing with here in , and I want us to be challenged and encouraged through this text by Paul’s encouragement to the churches of Galatia to Stand Firm in Our Freedom in Christ.

We want to focus on how we can stand firm in our freedom in Christ, and Paul reveals to us 3 ways we can stand firm in our freedom in Christ in this text:

· Stand Firm and Rejoice in God’s Promise [v.26-28]

· Stand Firm Even in Persecution [v.29-30]

· Stand Firm and Understand God’s word [v.21]

· Stand Firm and Rejoice in God’s Promise [v.26-28]

So as we look at our first point, let’s read again (CSB)

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.

23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants.

One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

· Stand Firm Even in Persecution [v.29-30]

Stand Firm & Understand God’s word

So as we look at our first point, let’s read again (CSB)

Remembering where we left off in last week’s sermon in v.20 where Paul says “I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you”.

We saw Paul’s pastoral concern for the churches of Galatia and how at this point in his ministry, he was discouraged and worried that his work in gospelizing, trying to disciple, and walk the Christian faith with these Gentile believers might have all been in vain because of the seemingly overwhelming influence of the Judaizers in the lives of these believers.

They had been influenced by the Judaizers to trust in themselves, to trust in their works, and the law.

They had been influenced to believe that they needed to be circumcised, and even to follow OT traditions and events, and we are left in v.20 with Paul perplexed at what to do next.

21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.

23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants.

One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Paul seemingly doesn’t know what strategy to take next in trying to persuade and convince the Gentile believers to trust alone in the Lord, but we see in v.21 that it does not take Paul long to figure out what strategy he takes next.

He has a “lightbulb” moment in v.21.

His strategy and argument now is asking those Gentile believers and even to the Judaizers, “So you want to be under the law, and trust in the law, do you even know what the law says”.

Stand Firm & Understand God’s word

Remembering where we left off in last week’s sermon in v.20 where Paul says “I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you”.

We saw Paul’s pastoral concern for the churches of Galatia and how at this point in his ministry, he was discouraged and worried that his work in gospelizing, trying to disciple, and walk the Christian faith with these Gentile believers might have all been in vain because of the seemingly overwhelming influence of the Judaizers in the lives of these believers.

They had been influenced by the Judaizers to trust in themselves, to trust in their works, and the law.

They had been influenced to believe that they needed to be circumcised, and even to follow OT traditions and events, and we are left in v.20 with Paul perplexed at what to do next.

· Paul’s historical argument:

o The “law”: We have to distinguish here that the term law has been used all throughout the Bible to refer to many things [ the ten commandments, all the Mosaic commands, the Torah [Pentateuch], all of OT scriptures]

Paul seemingly doesn’t know what strategy to take next in trying to persuade and convince the Gentile believers to trust alone in the Lord, but we see in v.21 that it does not take Paul long to figure out what strategy he takes next.

He has a “lightbulb” moment in v.21.

His strategy and argument now is asking those Gentile believers and even to the Judaizers, “So you want to be under the law, and trust in the law, do you even know what the law says”.

· Paul’s historical argument:

o Paul is referring to the Pentateuch here, the first 5 books of the bible.